A planning  meeting of the Capital Mineral Club was held Saturday December 3, 1960 and chose the second Saturday of  each month to be the meeting date. 

The first meeting of the Club was held January 14, 1961,  making our  Club 40 years old!  Incorporating the Club was discussed, but no action was taken until five years later.  Forrest Fogg brought up the matter again and incorporated the Club around May 1966. 

At the February meeting a one page Club Constitution and by-laws was accepted.  The by-laws have changed about six times since then. 

Then comes the March meeting,  a Round-Up was mentioned, but did not become a reality until  August, 1964.  The Festival was first called a round-up and not until the following year was it called the Sunapee Gem & Mineral Festival.  During the March meeting we held the first of many rock & mineral auctions,  netting the Club $36.00. 

At the April  meeting  it was decided to have a mineral given as a door prize at each meeting, however, since they were taking orders for geologist picks at $3.85,  one was given as a door prize.  Bob Jordan was the lucky winner.  At this years April  2001 meeting,  the Club will have given away approximately 360 minerals as door prizes - a small collection!! 

At the May meeting, it was decided to have a field trip to the Wise & Stoddard mines in June;  the Davis & Plume mines in July; and the Keyes mine in August.

During the September meeting an outline was presented for programs through May 1962 and an accounting of the summer's field trips was presented by the field trip leaders, Bob Rodgers and Larry Rising.

November saw another auction, where members brought in minerals to be auctioned with the Club getting 10%  of each sale netting the Club $12.38. 

At the December meeting, the first mention of a social  hour  was brought up.  It was to be the beginning of many. 

Attendance at meetings averaged about 50 people, that is over twice what we have now. 
That ends a brief summary of the 1961 Club year.

Submitted by Gordon Jackson